Taking Control of Your Brain Health: An Introduction to Your Five Lives Journey

Small steps, big results

Change isn’t easy, but we will be taking you through every stage, on a journey to improve sleep, diet, mood and social life, mental stimulation, and physical activity - the five pillars of a healthy brain. 

Studies have found strong connections between dementia and all of these factors.

While reducing your risk of dementia is the goal long term, our focus is on helping you develop daily habits that will improve your brain health incrementally.

It's not about making big, drastic changes all at once, but rather incorporating small and sustainable changes into your routine. 

And with monthly assessments, you'll be able to track your progress and see the impact of lifestyle changes on your cognitive abilities.

Each step of the way, new articles will be unlocked that target these five pillars of brain health. You will be given a brief task to do and complete in time for your next lesson. 

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There are five pillars that influence the health of your brain: 

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1. Sleep 

One of the biggest sleep myths out there is that we need less sleep as we age. 

In actual fact, we need just as much sleep in our 50s, 60s and 70s, as we did in our 30s.

Sleep is a non-negotiable for overall health: put simply, the shorter your sleep, the shorter your life span.

A good night’s sleep lays the foundation for a productive and brain healthy day. Sleep plays a crucial role in strengthening your willpower and allowing you to effortlessly stick to healthy habits.

We’ll be sharing some astonishing case studies of why you’ll never want to miss a wink again, and how to hack your sleep with some amazing science-backed techniques.

2. Diet

We’ve all heard it before: “Fruit and vegetables are good for you”, “Sugar and salt are bad for you”. 

But despite knowing this, many of us still struggle to make brain-healthy food choices.

We’ll be teaching you how to make smart choices that nourish your brain, without feeling like you’re on a restrictive diet that sets you up for failure.

We’ll share the latest research and findings on the gut-brain connection and the important, little-known role of the immune system as a bridge between diet and cognitive decline. 

We’ll also share some of the key principles we follow at Five Lives, like the importance of eating the rainbow and incorporating at least 30-based foods into your weekly diet.

You’ll learn why calorie counting is not the way to go, and we’ll also tackle controversial topics like intermittent fasting.

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3. Physical activity 

Did you know that the more you work out, the bigger and stronger your hippocampus gets (an area in the brain related to learning and memory), making it take longer for normal cognitive decline in ageing, and diseases like Alzheimer’s, to take effect?

Whether you're a seasoned athlete or have never exercised before, we have inclusive ideas tailored to your unique needs and abilities. Get ready to have fun with our in-house videos to challenge both body and mind.

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4. Mood and social

It's not just the quantity of our connections, but the quality that matters for mental wellbeing. 

Positive relationships can boost mood and reduce stress, while loneliness and chronic stress can increase the risk of dementia.

The good news is that these factors can all be changed! We’ll be sharing exercises to cultivate positive relationships, combat loneliness, and manage stress for a happier, healthier life.

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5. Mental stimulation

Just like physical exercise, working out your brain every day is key to a healthy lifestyle.

A mentally active lifestyle is associated with reduced risk of dementia and there are countless activities that can help you achieve it.

Why? Because keeping the brain active helps build reserves of healthy brain cells, and strengthen the connections between them, in a way that makes it take longer for diseases like Alzheimer’s to take hold.

We’ll dive deeper into these activities in future articles, but in the meantime, why not have some fun with our brain games? 

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Ready to join us on the Five Lives journey?

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How healthy is your brain? Discover your brain health score and risk for dementia on the Five Lives app. Validated by an NHS doctor and approved as a class 1 medical device, improve your cognitive performance with easy, simple and powerful digital coaching and fun brain games!

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